Automatic musical instrument.



W. H. SMITH & F. W. GUNTON.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED 11110.7, 1908 2 SHEBTSSHEET l.

I NVENTDRS W ITNESSES SM M GUN TON W. H. SMITH & P. W. GUN'TON.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 7, 1908.

Patnted 001.14, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0,, WASHINGTON. 01c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HENRY SMITH nn R NK. wrLLiAM GUNTOLL, or ennon. ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL IN STRUMENT'.

Application filed- Deeem-ber'l', 1908.. Serial, No. 466,223..

To all whom it may concern Be. it i known. that we, WILLIAM HENRY.

S'MITH,:.a subject of the King of England,

residing at Penge,--London,. S E:.,.England,. andFnamn VILLIAM GUN'roN, a sub ect of! the King of England, residing at London, VVL, England,.have invented certain new and specification;

This invention relates to 1 improvements in )la. ers havin or an. attachments. Deal-v l a: a

ing witlrpiano-players the invention. is ape plicableeither to =inside pneumatic instruments or: outside. pneumatic instru.-. ments, that is to say either atO thoseiin which the power pneumaticsaredisposed. Within a vacuum; chamber as in the Well known.

Angelus instrument on to thosein. which the powerpneumatics are. outside the, vacuum chamber as immany common forms of piano-player. The. invention will first be described in. its application to an: outsidepneumatic piano-player. The expression vacuum will be used .toindicate-a pres.- sure less than that of the atmosphere and it will beunderstood that air pressure may be used instead ofsvacuum, allowance being made for. the reversal of movement thus involved.

The object of this invention is tOuPIiOVldQ means for automatically playing or accent ing certainnotes in the music suchas the melody in accordance with certain. perforations in the music sheet. Owing to the limited width of music roll'sit is essential, that the minimum number of holes should beems ployed in the. tracker-board and an: important aim in the inventionis to accomplish the desired accentuation by the aid of'as few as possible extraholes in theltracker-board. It is already known in automatic-pianoplayersto employ twov sources of vacuum, onenormal and. the otherexcessive, and. to provide. means forpconnecting the powers pneumatics of certain notes as desired to one or other of these sources and the present invention involves this general idearw It is also know-ntocontrol iELCCGI'ltHfltlOIl of all the notes of onename or all the notesof one octave. by the use of: one. orificeat' the tracker-board According to. this invention. in an automaticcapparatus-for playing, a. musical in+ strurnentihe.method ofco-ntrolling a con.- duit for playingor accenting anote involves tracker-conduit for. accentinga note and: the

pendent on the special. tracker-conduit :and'at group z.contro-llingrpne umatio, and therefore useful Improvements in Automatic Musical, raising; of which flexible diaphragm 'isde- Instruments, .oftwhich. thev following. is a:

e; employment of a flexiblev diaphragm. i lllfilli covers both. said conduit and. a specialhecessitates the simultaneous opening. oi two special.;tracker-conduits belonging to difien Tent; groups:v Thus a pressure controlling pneumatic (which; puts the ordinary secs pndary pneumatic-valve. into connection;

either with normal vacuum or with; excessive gvacuum) is cont-rolledv by a,-- pressure cone trolling;pneumatic-conduit, a flexible -diaiphragm; covers this pressure controlling con.-

{duit and covers alsoa special conduit from.

thestracker-board (which I shall term the; diaphragmactuating-conduit.) appropriatedto a certain classof note (saythenotes-of;

one name); and .;a' diaphnagm-controllingi pneumatic. actuated from the tracker-board andapproprlated to a certain group ofnotes,

say an octave, is arrangedito control the atmosphere surrounding. the flexible. diae phragm; whereby the. pressure; controlling pneumaticisonly opera-ted as to an individual note; when. the corresponding dia phragm-Tactuating conduit and they diaphragmcontrolling pneumatic-conduit for the group containing said ;note arevsimulr taneously opened at thetracker-board. For convenience the one pressurecontrolling pneumatic .may control two consecutive notes '(separa-t-edby-a semi-tone) because as iswell known two consecutive notes practically never occur iiione chord, It will be seen that when. a. secondary-pneumatic is actuated from] the music sheet inthe usual way, the corresponding power-pneumatic is normally actuated by normal VLCHHlllr. The power-;

pneumatic cannot be actuated by excess.

vacuum unless the pressure controlling-pneumatic is operated and the pressure controlllng. pneumatic cannot :be operated unless; the flexible diaphragm is raised and this only occurs when the -diaphragm-actuating-conduit is opened at the tracker-board and the, diaphragm controlling pneumatic conduit is also and simultaneously open at the tracker-.

board. Bythismeans according" to this in vention :it is possible bypthe'use of certain extra; holeson; the music sheet to select cer A for each note has a conduit B as usual to the secondary-pneumatic valve C which in normal position leaves the power-pneumatic open to air at C but in raised position puts the power-pneumatic into connection with the discharge D from the pressure controlling pneumatic-valve D. The secondary-pneumatic C is controlled from the primary-pneumatic and from the trackerboard in the usual way, and of course instead of the primary and secondary pneumatics, single pneumatics may be used. In the drawing the passage 0' leading to the secondary pneumatic is diagrammatically represented as controlled by a valve. The pressure controlling pneumatic-valve D controls two ports one E from the normal vacuum chamber E and another F from the excess vacuum chamber F. In its normal lower position the pressure controlling pneumatic-valve D closes the excess vacuum port l3 and opens the normal vacuum port E but in its raised position the pressure controlling pneumatic-valve D closes the normal vacuum port E and opens the excess vacuum port F This pneumatic is controlled through the selecting pneumatic conduit D The end of this conduit is covered by a flexible diaphragm Gr say of leather which also coversanother conduit H (the diaphragm-actuating-conduit) leading from the diaphragm G to the tracker-board. The diaphragm-actuating-conduits H from all the actions of the notes of one class (say all the notes of the same name) lead into one common conduit from the tracker-board, so that one hole in the tracker-board controls the diaphragm G for all the notes of that class. The diaphragm G itself is in a chamber J (the diaphragm chamber) which is normally open to the air at K As there is normally a vacuum in the pressure controlling pneumatic-conduit D and as the diaphragm-actuating-conduit H is closed, and as there is normally air pressure in the diaphragm chamber J on the other side of the diaphragm, it follows that the diaphragm Gr normally closes both the pneumatic-conduit D and the diaphragm-actuating conduit H. The atmosphere in the diaphragm chamber J is controlled by a group-controlling-pneumatic-valve K having two ports one K to the air and the other K to vacuum. When the group-controlling-pneumatic-valve K is in its normal lower position the diaphragm chamber J is open to the air but when the group-controlling-pneumatic-valve K is in its raised position, the diaphragm chamber J is opened to vacuum. There is one group-controlling pneumatic K for each group of flexible diaphragms, say every six of them, viz. to control an octave. Each group-controlling pneumatic K is connected by a conduit K to the tracker-board. Bleed-holes L leading from the vacuum space to the underside of all the pneumatics are provided as usual. Assuming for example that a certain selecting pneumatic D controls two consecutive notes C and C sharp, assuming that the con duit H from the tracker-board is connected to the flexible diaphragms for all the Us, and assuming that each of the group-controllingneumatics K controls an octave of notes, the operation of this arrangement is as follows :-If it be desired to accent the particular note C referred to, the usual orifice is made in the music sheet corre sponding to the primary-pneumatic of that note, an orifice is provided in the music sheet opposite the diaphragmactuating conduit H for the GS, and an orifice is provided in the music sheet opposite the group-controlling-pneumatic conduit K for the particular octave in which the note oc ours. The group controlling pneumatic valve K is therefore raised, vacuum is created above the flexible diaphragm G, and the air is admitted from the music orifice to the diaphragm-actuating conduit H for the Us, passes under the diaphragm G and "enters the pressure controlling pneumatic conduit D By this means the pressure controlling pneumatic valve D is raised and the excess vacuum port F is therefore opened to the secondary pneumatic C which is of course raised in the usual way by the air in the conduit C and the excess vacuum therefore takes effect upon the power-pneumatic A. 7

In the above example certain groupings of the notes have been referred to but it will be understood that this invention is equally applicable to other groupings of the notes.

The so-called normal vacuum and excess vacuum may both be conveniently derived from the one vacuum reservoir through the medium of choker valves or other suitable form of valve. Preferably the choker valve devices controlling the passages between the vacuum reservoir and the normal and excess vacuum chambers are of the type covered in the previous United States Patent.

WVhen a whole chord or a group of notes is to be accented it may not be desired to actuate all the selecting pneumatics, flexible diaphragms, and group-controlling-pneumatics for all lthenotes-in that chord -or-- group and 1n such circumstances automatic means maybe-provided actuated by anaddi tional hole or; holes in -the music sheet to cause all the secondary pneumaticsto be put into connection WIT/h the excess vacuum chamber. This may-for-examplebe-effected by means of a-choker-valvein a well known way.

It is to be understood that t-hedetail's-of arrangement" andticonstructioni may be varied without departing from, this invention.

What we claim' as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1 1. In an automatic'apparatus forplaying a musical instrument, the-combination with a tracker, sources of normal and excesspres: sure, pneumatics; for each 4 note operated through said pressures, conduits from said tracker to said pneumatics, of a pressure controlling pneumatic, a conduit therefrom terminating in a diaphragm chamber, a tracker conduit terminating in said chamber, a flexible diaphragm covering both conduits and actuated through said tracker conduit, and a pneumatic for controlling a group of diaphragms operated from the tracker and arranged to condition said diaphragm for operation through said tracker conduit.

2. In an automatic apparatus for playing a musical instrument, the combination with a tracker, sources of normal and excess pressure, pneumatics for each note operated through said pressures, conduits from said tracker to said pneumatics, of a pressure controlling pneumatic, a conduit therefrom terminating in a diaphragm chamber having an air inlet and a vacuum inlet, a tracker conduit terminating in said chamber, a flexible diaphragm in said chamber covering both of said conduits, and a pneumatic for controlling a group of diaphragms operated from the tracker and arranged to close said inlets alternately and to condition said diaphragm for operation through said tracker conduit whereby said pressure con trolling pneumatic may be operated.

3. In an automatic apparatus for playing a musical instrument, the combination with a tracker, sources of normal and excess pressure, pneumatics for each note operated through said pressures, and conduits from said tracker to said pneumatics, of a plurality of pressure controlling pneumatics, a plurality of diaphragm chambers, conduits from said pressure controlling pneumatics terminating in said chambers, a plurality of tracker conduits terminating in said chambers, a flexible diaphragm in each chamber, each diaphragm covering a pressure controlling conduit and a tracker conduit, and a pneumatic for controlling a group of diaphragms operated from the tracker and arranged to condition a diaphragm for operation through its tracker conduit.

musical instruments, the combination oii seriesof" pressure controlling pneumatic conduits-:(oneforeach note) grouped into sets,a diaphragm chamber :for each-I set, said conduits ofeach set terminatingin: said chamber, a tracker conduit appropriated to eachof said pressurecont-rolling conduits of each set, said tracker conduits terminating in said diaphragm chamber, a plurality of flexible diaphragms in, said chambers, each 'diaphragmicovering a pressure controlling conduit and a trackerconduit, and a pneu-- maticfor controlling a group of diaphragms in each diaphragm chamber arranged to determine the air pressure therein.

, 5. In an automatic apparatus for playing musical instruments, thecombination of a: Seriesof pressure controlling conduits (one for each note) grouped into sets, a diaphragm chamber for each set, a tracker conduit appropriated to each pressure controlling conduit, the tracker conduits of each set terminating in the diaphragm chamber for said set, said pressure controlling c0nduits terminating in their diaphragm chambers, a plurality of flexible diaphragms in each diaphragm chamber, each diaphragm covering a pressure controlling conduit and a tracker conduit, a plurality of pneumatics each controlling a group of diaphragms in each diaphragm chamber, and a pneumatic conduit for each of said pneumatics leading to the tracker.

6. In an automatic apparatus for playing a musical instrument, the combination with a tracker, sources of normal and excess pressure, pneumatics for each note operated 7 through said pressures, and conduits leading from said tracker to said pneumatics, of pressure controlling conduits such as D for accenting notes, and a flexible diaphragm such as G controlling these notes, of diaphragm chambers such as J containing a plurality of diaphragms, each chamber being controlled by one group-controlling pneumatic operated from the tracker, such as K, and tracker conduits such as H appropriated to said diaphragms and grouped together substantially as described.

7. In an automatic apparatus for playing musical instruments, the combination with a tracker, sources of normal and excess pressure, pneumatics for each note operated through said pressures and conduits from said tracker to said pneumatics, of a pressure controlling pneumatic conduit D leading to a diaphragm chamber J having an air inlet K and a vacuum inlet K a diaphragm-actuating conduit H, a tracker conduit appropriated thereto, a flexible diaphragm G within said diaphragm chamber which covers both said conduits, and a pneumatic K for controlling a group of diaphragms arranged to close alternately the 4:; In an automatic apparatusfor playing air 'inlet and vacuum inlet of said diaphragm chamber.

8. In an automatic apparatus for playing musical instruments, the combination With a tracker, sources of normal and excess pressure, pneumatics for each note operated through said pressures and conduits from said tracker to said penumatics, of a pressure controlling pneumatic, a conduit therefrom, a tracker conduit, a flexible diaphragm valve covering both the conduit to the pressure controlling pneumatic and said tracker conduit, and a pneumatic for controlling a group of diaphragm valves actuated from the tracker and appropriated to a certain group of notes (say an octave),

said pneumatic being arranged to control the atmosphere surrounding the diaphragm, whereby the selecting pneumatic is only operated when the corresponding tracker conduit to said diaphragm and said group-controlling pneumatic conduits are simultaneously opened at the tracker.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WVILLIAM HENRY SMITH. FRANK WILLIAM GUNTON.

Witnesses EVILLIAM H. BALLANTYNE, HARRY B. BRIDGES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

